Rotary printing-machine



c. WINKLER. ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 14. I917- fi mm m m m/ n; im hm rm dw ..J m W m 1 H m ATTORNEYS c. 'WINKLER. ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-14.1917.

latented Jan. 13,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

as PATENT oFFI CARL WINKLER, 0F BERNE, SWITZERLAND.

ROTARY PRINTING-MACHINE.

-Printingfldachines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in rotary printing machines, and the object of my improvements is, firstly, to print both the front and back of the sheets, in a simpler manner than heretofore possible, with the assistance, of a plate carrying cylinder of single width having only two plates on its circumference, and of an impression cylinder also of but single width. For this purpose the plates for printing the front and back of the sheets are arranged on the plate carrying cylinder circumferentially one behind the other, the paper from a roll being cut in sheets before being printed, and said sheets when printed on one side, being turned in the direction of their movement.

A further object of my improvements is to enable all newspapers having an even number of pages to be printed with the asv sistance of but one plate for each page, and, although each plate-cylinder has only two plates on its circumference, such newspapers can be produced up to, and including, the first fold, from printing entirely without belt transmission. This object is obtained by combining one or more principal printing machines, in which two plates are provided on the circumference of the plate cylinder, with at least one auxiliary printing machine for two page sheets, in such a manner that each printing unit can work for itself or in combination with the others.

My improvements are also designed to avoid the drawbacks of rotary printing machines driven by a motor direct, and for this purpose I provide a friction coupling between the motor and machine. By reason of this improvement the motor, while at full speed, can be put into gear'without danger, because the friction coupling acts as a safety device and prevents breakages. Experience has shown that such a machine can be brought up to its proper speed much more quickly and smoothly than with the electric resistances now used. -It is further a great saving of initial expense that such re- Speeification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

Application filed February 14, 1917. Serial No. 148,694..

sistances are rendered unnecessary, because their cost is at least equal to that of the motor itself. This arrangement, finally, allows of the use of a smaller motor than heretofore, because, in starting, the inertia of the parts is overcome by putting the motor into gear at full speed.

On the accompanying drawings the invention is shown by way of example, Figure 1 being a diagrammatical representation of the printing and inking mechanism of a rotary printing machine, in which the plate cylinder has on its circumference one plate for printing the front, and a second plate for printing the back, of the sheets;

Figs; 2 and 3 show two difl erent angular positions of the impression and sheet turning cylinders;

Fig. 4c is a diagrammatical side elevation of two principal printing machines, in which two plates are provided on the circumference of each plate cylinder; Fig. 5 is a similar view of an auxiliary printing machine for two page sheets in combination with the folding mechanism of the principal printing machines shown in Fig. 4:;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatical plan view of the machine represented in Figs. 4 and 5, intended, specially, to show the relative position of the paper rolls of the principal and auxiliary machines;

Figs. 7 and 8 represent the evolution of plate cylinders, showing plates attached driven, and Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view of the cutting and folding mechanism 16, 17 in Fig. 5.

From the paper-roll 18 (Fig. 1) sheets of the length of half the circumference of the impression cylinder are cut previous to the printing, and the sheets are led to the impression cylinder 1 by means of transmission belts for example. (lo-acting initiating rollers 1 and 1 which include paper gripping means, receive the cut sheets and advance them to the impression cylinder 1. Each sheet is then caught at its front edge by movable needles 2 (Fig. 1), and it is taken from the cylinder 1 around to the "point of contact with the sheet turning cylinder 3, being printed on one side on the way by the plate 4 on the cylinder 5. At the point of contact of the impression and sheet turning cylinders the sheet is caught by the needles 6 of the sheet turning,

back edge the needles 6 release the front edge of the sheet, and the sheet is taken up by the impression cylinder for the second time, theprinted side then bearing against the surfaceof said cylinder (Fig. 3). The sheet is thus led under the plate 9, so that its back is printed, whereupon it is caught by the needles 11 of the cylinder 10 and led to the folding apparatus or sheet-collecting device of which the cylinder 16 is a part.

By omitting the plate 9 it is of course possible to print the sheet on one side only. In this case the sheetcan pass direct from the impression cylinder 1 to the leading out cylinder 10, for which purpose the sheet turning cylinder 3, and the accessory parts, can be adapted to be put out of operation.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 1 can, of course, also be used for rotary printing machines with plate and impression cylinders of more than single width and a paper roll of corresponding width. Further, it can be used for printing machines having more than two plates on the circumference of the plate cylinder.

In the plant shown in Figs. l-6 the plate cylinders of the printing machines A and B have two plates on their circumference and two plates beside each other, and, in such a position that their length is parallel to the axis of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 7 and not as in Fig. 8.

The paper unwound from the paper rolls of the printing machines A and B (Fig. 1) are printed on both sides, and have 8 or 4 pages, according as rolls of double or single width are used. In the case of 8 page text the two paper paths of double Width are out along the middle by knives 12 and 13, and the four parts are turned one over the other by means of turning rods 1%, 15, whereupon they are cut and folded by the cutting and folding cylinders 16, 17 This cutting and folding mechanism is more clearly shown in Fig. 10, to which attention is directed in considering the construction illustrated in Fig. 5. In this arrangement only 4:, 8, 12 and 16 page newspapers, according to the number of printing units, that is newspapers with a number of pages divisible by 4-, can be made.

Now, in order to obtain the remaining intermediate products, that is, newspapers having any numberofpages'divisible by 2,

the auxiliary printing machine illustrated in Fig. 5 is used in combination with the machines A and B. This machine operates as follows :The paper from the roll 18, before being printed, is cut by the cutting mechanism 19, in any known manner, into sheets of half the length of the circumferonce of the cylinder. By means of transporting belts, or the like, these sheets are led separately to the impression cylinder 1, where they are taken up by needles and carried around the cylinder until they reach the point of contact with the turning cylinder 3. During this period the sheets are printed on one side by one of the plates on the cylinder 5. At the said point of contact the sheet is taken off the impression cylin der by the sheet turning cylinder 3 by means of needles, and, as soon as it has applied itself to half of the circumference of said turning cylinder, it is folded into a gripper or the like on the impression cylinder 1. At the same time the sheet is released by the needles on the turning cylinder. The sheet is now turned and is conducted by the impressic-n cylinder 1 to the plate cylinder 4:, in order to be printed by the second plate on said cylinder. After the second print has een effected the sheet is led by delivery cylinder 10 to the folding cylinders 16, 17 and is folded into the-four page sheets from the l printing machines A, B. The plate cylinder 1 has only two plates in its circumference, these being the plates for printing the front and back of a single sheet. For producing two page sheets only 1 plate is therefore required for each page.

As explained above and shown in Figs. 46 of the drawing the loose sheets, after being printed, are combined with the paper webs brought over each other by means of turning rods entirely without using trans mission belts, and this is done at the same speed at which the paper webs are moving In order to produce 14 page news-papers,

for example, the machine operates as fol lows Both plate cylinders of the printing machine A are each provided with four plates.

while the plate cylinders of the printing machine B are each provided with two plates, thus 12 plates together. The remaining two pages are furnished by'the auxiliary print inc; machine (Fig. 5), the plate cylinder of which is provided with two plates.

In this case the paper roll of the printing a machine A must have the width of two plates, while the paper rolls of the printing machines B and C have the width of one plate.

sheet of four pages, and the auxiliary machine C one sheet of two pages, thus together 1 1 pages.

Byincreasing the length of the plate cyl- The machine A will then yield two .sheets of four pages, the machlne B one inders (for three plates arranged beside each other, for example), or by adding further printing machines newspapers of over 18 pages can be produced.

As will be evident from the above description this invention has the advantage already mentioned that for every desired number of pages only one plate is required for each page, which is not the case when the plates are arranged in the manner shown in Fig. 8. Because in the arrangement of the plates according to Fig. 8 the two plates belonging together (for example, in the case of an 8 page newspaper, the plates for the pages 1, 8; 3, 6; 2, 7; and 4, 5) are positioned on the plate cylinder beside each other in the direction of its axis, the printed paper Web must be so cut that sheets of the length of half the circumference of the plate cylinder are obtained. These sheets are then placed in the folding apparatus to form an 8 page newspaper. Now, in making newspapers of only 4 pages, in which case the" plates 6, 8, 5 and 7 are omitted, an unprinted page would result in place of same. Instead of the plates 3, 6, 8 one plate 1 and two plates 4 are provided, and on the other cylinder the plates 4, 5, 7 are replaced by one plate 2 and two plates 3 respectively, so that after each rotation of the plate cylinder two four page newspapers will be produced. The collecting device in the folding apparatus is put out of operation for this purpose. A common 16 page two paper roll plant, in producing 4 to 6 and 8 page newspapers will work with double output, and in producing newspapers of over 8 pages will work with single output, and in printing establishments, specially in those in which newspapers are printed, which must generally be ready for issue at a certain hour, this difference is felt to be a drawback.

In contradistinction hereto a plant arranged according to my invention has but one plate for each page, no matter how many pages the newspaper may have. In other words the time of printing remains the same in all cases.

The motor used to drive each printing machine is shown in Fig. 9. Between the motor and the machine there is a friction coupling, one half (24) of which is keyed on the shaft of the driving wheel 25. The other half (26) of the coupling sits on the motor shaft and can be moved longitudinallyon same by means of the gear ring 27, ball bearings 28, 29 being provided to take up the thrust.

It is evident that with this arrangement the motor, while running at full speed, can be coupled with the machine, and, still, owing to the possibility of slip occurring between the parts of the coupling, there is no liability of breakage occurring. When the motor isuncoupled, the machineimmedi- 'der having means for gripping a sheet and ately stops. .Every expert will recognize the great importance of this improvement. What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a rotary printing machine, the combination of means for cutting sheets of paper, an impression cylinder having sheet-- gripping means, means for receiving the cut sheets and introducing them to the impression cylinder, a plate cylinder, a reversing cylinder for turning the sheets for printing said sheets on both sides, and a leading out cylinder cooperating with the impression cylinder, the leading out cylin removing it from the impression cylinder.

2-. A rotary printing machine including an impression cylinder and coacting rolls and cylinders disposed in substantially equally spaced radial locations, consisting of initiating rolls for introducing the paper, a paper printing cylinder, a paper reversing cylinder, and a printed paper leading-out cylinder.

3. In a rotary newspaper printing apparatus, the combination with a main web printing machine having plate cylinders with at least two longitudinally arranged plates in their lengths, of an auxiliary single sheet printing machine having a single plate cylinder with one plate in its length, the impression and plate cylinders of said machines having the same circumferential speed, said auxiliary machine including a sheet delivery cylinder; and folding means common to both machines adjacent to the delivery cylinder, arranged to cut and fold the sheets of the main machine and simultaneously at the same speed envelop the single sheets, avoiding intermediate belt transmisslon.

4. A rotary printing machine including an impression cylinder, initiating rolls for introducing the paper to said impression cylinder, a paper printing cylinder coacting with said impression cylinder, a reversing cylinder adapted to take the paper printed on one side from said impression cylinder and to return the sheet to said impression cylinder with the unprinted side outside, a leading out cylinder adapted to take the paper printed on both sides off said impression cylinder. and folding cylinders coacting with said leading out cylinder, substantially as, and for the purpose set forth.

5. A rotary printing machine including an impression cylinder having a circumference corresponding to about twice the length of the sheets to be printed, a plate cylinder, the printing plates of which are disposed in substantially equally spaced radial locations, comprising initiating rolls for introducing the paper, a paper printing cylinder, a paper reversing cylinder, and a paper leading out cylinder, said paper printing cylinderbearing 30 first and perfecting plates, occupying each half of its circumference and being arranged circumferentially one behind the other.

6. The combination With a folding apparatus, for out Web and single perfected sheets of a rotary Web printing machine having plate cylinders carrying tWo one page sized type plates on their circumference, and of an auxiliary printing machine for single sheets having an impression cylinder and coacting rolls and cylinders disposed in suitably spaced radial positions, consisting of initiating rolls for introducing the paper, a paper printing cylinder, a paper reversing cylinder, a printed paper leading out cylinder and folding cylinders coacting With said paper leading out cylinder, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.

7. In a rotary printing apparatus, the

combination of an independently operable principal Web printing machine, an independently operable auxiliary single sheet perfecting machine, and a common folding apparatus, said printing machines being arranged to operate in combination With each other at a uniform speed, the single perfected sheets being led Without tape transmission and folded into the Web, simultaneously folded and cut into four-page sheets by the same combined folding and cutting apparatus in numerical order.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

' CARL WINKLER.

Witnesses:

O. AUERBACHER, L. DE BLINDER. 

